TEHRAN- According to a report released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Turkey was the third top destination of Iran’s non-oil products in the past Iranian calendar year 1404 (ended on March 20).

In early December 2025, a Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) delegation, visiting the Plast Eurasia 2025 exhibition in Istanbul, met with a group of board members and managers of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.

In this meeting, both sides, referring to the longstanding friendly, cultural, and economic relations between Iran and Turkey, emphasized strengthening connections through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment.

Munur Ustun, a member of the executive board of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed between the two chambers last year, described the presence of Iranian companies in Turkey and specialized exhibitions as valuable and stated: “The current volume of trade between the two countries falls short of the existing potential.”

He then addressed the impact of global economic developments and the constraints caused by sanctions, and emphasizing the need to facilitate the foreign trade environment and create a secure path for private sector cooperation, said that direct meetings between merchants are an important step to compensate for shortcomings.

Addressing the meeting, Hervik Yarijaniyan, head of the TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee, stated that with over 47,000 members, this chamber has extensive capacity for cooperation with Turkish economic actors, adding: “The social, political, and cultural relations between the two countries are at a high level, but the level of trade exchange does not correspond with these realities. Therefore, through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment, cooperation between the two countries can be strengthened.”

He also invited the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce to travel to Tehran as a trade delegation to further expand the grounds for joint cooperation.

Subsequently, Hesameddin Hallaj, deputy for international affairs and trade development at the TCCIMA, referring to the continuous dispatch of trade delegations in recent years and the active presence of the Tehran Chamber at Plast Eurasia 2025, said: “Face-to-face dialogues between Iranian and Turkish actors can lead to the development of economic relations.”

He also announced the continuation of cooperation between the two chambers based on last year's memorandum of understanding and expressed hope that the Tehran Chamber would soon host a delegation of Turkish merchants.

During this meeting, Kamran Davari-Nikou, Consul General of Iran in Istanbul, referring to the increase in the trade between the two countries to $19.4 billion, said the diversity of Iran's export goods to Turkey has increased from 700 items in previous years to 1,383 items.

Referring to the presence of 45 Iranian companies at the Plast Eurasia exhibition and several dispatched trade delegations, he described this trend as a sign of the high potential for economic cooperation between Iran and Turkey.

Uzcan Tokul, Deputy Secretary General of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, in his remarks, deemed the current trade volume between Iran and Turkey insufficient and stated that the Istanbul Chamber would seriously continue its policy of receiving and supporting Iranian trade delegations.

At the end of this meeting, it was also decided that the Tehran Chamber of Commerce would prepare the groundwork for a trade delegation from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce to travel to Tehran through official correspondence.

The TCCIMA delegation, visiting the Plast Eurasia 2025 exhibition, also met with senior officials of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, proposing strategic partnerships between Iranian and Turkish private-sector companies, particularly in technology-driven sectors.

During the joint session, both sides highlighted the long-standing commercial ties between Iran and Turkey and agreed to strengthen industrial cooperation through B2B meetings and reciprocal expert delegations.

Mehmet Akif Meral, director of international and EU affairs at the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, introduced the body as an institution with 23,000 members established in 1923. He described past cooperation with Iran as positive, citing a 2013 business mission to Tehran and multiple meetings in recent years on technology, energy and industry.

He said the chamber maintains extensive links with Europe and neighboring markets and actively participates in global exhibitions, including major events in Chicago and the Netherlands.

Meral outlined measures taken in response to U.S. tariff shifts, noting that the chamber supports Turkish manufacturers through market advisory services, specialized training and e-commerce development programs. He added that 40 percent of Turkey’s exports go to Europe, where the chamber plays a central role in maintaining industrial ties.

Hervik Yarijaniyan, head of the TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee, said current trade levels fall short of the two countries’ long-standing economic links. He called for closer coordination between the Tehran Chamber and the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and invited a Turkish industrial delegation to visit Tehran.

Also, business delegations from Turkey’s Van province and Iranian industrial representatives held talks in Tehran in mid-December 2025 on ways to remove trade barriers and expand bilateral industrial and commercial cooperation, officials said.

The meeting brought together members of a Van-based trade delegation, Iranian industrialists and the head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA)’s industry and mining committee.

Hervik Yarijanian, head of the committee, said the Iranian and Turkish economies are both on a path of growth and that closer links between private-sector players could boost trade, encourage joint investment and help both sides make better use of existing capacities.

He proposed exchanges of industrial experts and engineers, the removal of customs obstacles and a stronger role for Van as a transit hub for goods moving between the two countries.

Mehrdad Saadat Dehghan, head of the Iran–Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce, said the two countries have nearly three decades of experience in cross-border trade but that the scale of exchanges has fallen short of expectations. He said broader cooperation, with the Tehran chamber playing a central role, could help unlock new opportunities.

Ali Sadri, vice head of the Tehran chamber’s industry and mining committee, said Tehran province is home to around 19,000 industrial and mining operators, including companies active in agro-processing, metals and non-metallic minerals. He said there is scope to connect Turkish traders and industrialists from Van with Iranian companies based in Tehran’s industrial zones.

Mehmet Tashan, head of the Van branch of the HAKSIAD industrialists and traders association, said businesses in the province, Turkey’s closest region to Iran, are keen to raise trade volumes with Iranian partners.

He stressed the need to address transport and connectivity challenges and said commercial ties could be expanded through HAKSIAD’s representation in Iran.

The meeting concluded with further exchanges of views between Iranian and Turkish businesspeople on potential areas of cooperation.

Meanwhile in late November 2025, Iran’s minister of industry, mining, and trade, during a meeting with the minister of trade of turkey, emphasized the need to remove obstacles to the development of Tehran-Ankara economic cooperation and announced a $2 billion increase in the value of trade exchanges next year, reaching a total of $10 billion in trade between the two countries.

Seyed Mohammad Atabak, the minister of industry, mining, and trade of Iran, who traveled to Turkey to attend the meeting of ECO trade ministers, met with Omar Bulat, the minister of trade of Turkey, on November 26, and discussed trade relations between Iran and Turkey.

He described Turkey as one of the most important trade partners of Iran and stressed the need to increase trade between the two countries.

Atabak said: “Trade between Turkey and Iran has the potential for a significant leap, and we hope to achieve this major goal by resolving some minor obstacles.”

Omar Bulat, the minister of trade of Turkey, also pointed to the five percent increase in the value of trade between Turkey and Iran in the current year and added: “We have now reached an $8 billion in trade between the two countries, and for the next year, we have set a target of $10 billion.”

He stated that based on the historical background and neighborly relations of the two countries, Turkey is ready to develop trade relations with Iran.

In this meeting, the minister of industry, mining, and trade of Iran and the minister of trade of Turkey reviewed some bilateral trade issues and reached understandings in this regard.

MA